WWE Conspiracy Theories: Mae Young Cursing on Live TV Was a Mistake, Right?

Last night's 'Old School' episode of RAW was an overall strong production by the WWE as fans were presented with a nostalgic broadcast reminiscent of the glory days of the WWF/E. 

Of the many highlights of last night's show, one of the more memorable moments saw 87-year old WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young audibly curse on live television.

During a segment with LayCool (who just gets worse by the week), Mae Young responded to LayCool's signature sophomoric comments by calling them 'Sluts'  and 'B---hes' before attacking the two women and defeating Layla El in an impromptu match. 

Common logic would dictate that the obscene language was simply a slip up.  She's an 87-year old woman, she couldn't possibly be trusted to deliver scripted lines.  In that situation, you've just gotta trot her out there, prop her up (thanks, Bella twins), and pray that she doesn't say something crazy, right?

Well, right.  Kind of.

Mae Young's cursing could very well have been a by-product of a borderline-senile woman trusted to cut a hostile promo with no filter on live television.  

Or, it could have been a crude sign that perhaps the WWE may be ready to shift gears creatively, and get away from the limitations constantly being imposed by the TV-PG stranglehold. 

Conspiracy Theory No. 1:  The Linda McMahon Theory

For quite some time now, the WWE has dialed down its product to accommodate a family demographic. Among the many plausible reasons to take (and keep) the company in this direction, one of the prevailing reasons centered around the recent high profile senate run of one Linda McMahon. 

Knowing the family business would be an easy target for 'Holier than thou' politicians, as the WWE puts it, Vince McMahon decided to showcase a product that was less offensive, less crude, and less edgy than the very antics that have come to define pro wrestling as we thought we knew it today. 

The TV-PG model, while an effective counter punch against politicians and members of the media who scrutinized the WWE product during Linda McMahon's senate run, was not enough to fend off prevailing criticisms and concern about deeper issues within the WWE including wrestler mortality, employee status, and questionable historical programming. 

Needless to say, Linda McMahon was unsuccessful in her bid for a seat in senate for the state of Connecticut, and with the post-political hangover starting to slowly fade, the WWE is now in a position where there is less pressure to 'clean up their act'. 

Sure, Senator Blumenthal, the Democrat who defeated McMahon, had expressed a desire to investigate the WWE during his campaign.  But when it was all said and done the former Attorney General all but backed off of such comments following his Senate victory, proving what should come as a surprise to no one based on the historical relationship between the WWE and politics- that WWE was just a bad word that left a bad taste in his mouth during his Senate run, and his victory over Linda McMahon was the toothpaste that may have washed that word (and its problems) out of his mouth for good.

Vince McMahon has expressed a desire to 'push the envelope' again in recent weeks with WWE's business slumping badly.  And although there is still the possibility of a monumentally game changing audit of WWE's business practices looming following the McMahon Senate campaign, the WWE is in a better position to ruffle a few feathers with a less family friendly product.  Politics be damned.  

Conspiracy Theory No. 2:  The Business Theory

 Anybody who follows the business side of the WWE knows that the WWE, while not necessarily hurting financially, is in a very noticeable downturn.  This year saw some of the lowest pay-per-view buyrates, RAW and Smackdown ratings, and DVD sales figures in years, calling into question the WWE's current creative direction.  

With politics already being discussed as a factor in the WWE's current TV-PG format, another point to be made in favor of TV-PG programming is the opportunity to capitalize on the cash cow that is the family demographic. 

Women, children, fathers, and sons showing up to live events, with the children insistent on wearing their favorite wrestler's merchandise to the arena, is a businessman's best friend.  And if families can become invested in the WWE's product, this could factor into an exponentially higher potential for revenue than the otherwise coveted 18-34 male demographic brings. 

But with the WWE's business trending downward as of late, one has to wonder if TV-PG is still the way to go from a business standpoint.  With many key areas in the WWE are in the proverbial toilet, each shareholder's meeting is starting to sound more and more like an alibi.  So is it really out of the question to consider making the product closer to what wrestling fans have come to expect from professional wrestling that makes it the guilty pleasure of sports and entertainment?

Perhaps the shrewd business strategy of merchandise sales and attracting family friendly dollars has run its course.  At the end of the day, the WWE is a business that is first and foremost interested in drawing the financial figures that keep investors happy.  Vince McMahon, while an autonomous figure in his own right, has to answer to these investors.  And if the WWE's business continues to drown in the face of the TV-PG era, rest assured there will only be more questions.

Conspiracy Theory No. 3:  The Old School Theory

Let's look at the other side of the coin when it comes to Mae Young's potty mouth moment on last night on RAW. What if the WWE wanted her to curse? 

After all, Mae Young used obscene language on two separate occasions during her geriatric promo, and not one of those times did the WWE scramble to give her the live bleep we've heard after similarly old school wrestlers such as Steve Austin and Bret Hart said lesser curse words.

To make matters more interesting, and for the sake of discussion, it's worth mentioning that the ensuing scramble lead to Layla El's thong being exposed.  Shouldn't she have been wearing silk stalkings and/or athletic tights underneath, which has become the norm with the Divas, to prevent such a scene? 

The Mae Young segment wasn't the only example of the WWE boldly going where it hasn't gone in about five years. 

At one point during the Old School broadcast, Jerry the King Lawler, in an attempt to shut Michael Cole the hell up, told Michale Cole to "shut the Hell up." 

The word 'Damn' was used quite liberally throughout the three hour broadcast.  In fact, the WWE saw fit to bring Ron Simmons in to chime in with his signature 'DAMN!" catchphrase. 

Now one shouldn't make too much of such seemingly trivial instances of indiscretion by the WWE.  After all, it was an Old School themed night, and this broadcast aired in conjunction with the WWE launching a 'new' Old School line of merchandise in an attempt to bring back all the fans who left to go watch Brock Lesnar and the UFC make another egomaniac more money than he really needs.

But if part of the WWE's plan is in fact to bring back the older, Old School generation of wrestling fans to its product, and they put forth a promising effort with Monday's one-off show, they're going to have a heck of a time retaining this demographic if Hornswoggle is to trot out the ring in a Viking Helmet with a flag three day from now on Smackdown!

It is as if a perfect storm has converged, leading the WWE to the very ground it has so admirably tried to shed in an attempt to grow up and keep up with the times. 

With political influence and business down, and a desire to recapture the imagination of a once-familiar demographic, now may be the time for the WWE to push the envelope with the same edgy, more ambitious product that made old school so cool in the first place.  

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